


This, We Will Keep Forever

by Saremina



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 00:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15897111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saremina/pseuds/Saremina
Summary: Five events from Keith's life on the Galra home world and one that happens off planet.Loosely Shelter adjacent but works perfectly as a standalone fic too.





	1. The First Day

**Author's Note:**

> Commissioned work.
> 
> And when I say loosely Shelter adjacent I do mean loosely. This is sort of an alternative to what could've happened if Shelter from a Cold Storm had ended with Keith getting to the Galra homeworld but not really.

Keith has been on the Galra homeworld for less than a day when he sneaks away from the Palace and into the crowded streets of the ancient city. The Galra passing by him pay him no attention; they’re too busy going on about their own business to notice a half-Galra wandering around and staring at everything with wide eyes.

It takes him over an hour, but eventually Keith finds his way to the marketplace where he buys tasters of every kind of food he dares to try, and a bag of fudge like sweets to take to Zarkon — just because Keith thinks it best to take something to Zarkon to pacify him before he can get too angry at Keith for leaving the safety of the Palace.

There’s a small tea house at the corner of the marketplace where Keith spends an hour eating a slice of salty pie and having a cup of herbal tea while his next move and just enjoying the sight of the market bustling with life. For a moment Keith wishes Zarkon was there with him — or that he’d have anyone with him, really — to enjoy the market, but Zarkon had been busy and Keith didn’t know anyone at the Palace yet. He supposes he could have asked Thace to join him, but Thace had his own friends and family to see and Keith didn’t want to keep him from doing that.

After he’s finished his tea and eaten his pie, Keith heads back to the market, taking everything in again and just enjoying being on a planet and around civilians again.

The suns are beginning to set by the time Thace comes to find Keith. Though Keith is less than excited about returning to the confides of the Palace he goes with Thace without complaining; he might get Thace in trouble if he lingers and that’s not something Keith wants to happen.

Zarkon is waiting for Keith in their rooms — a private wing, really — drinking his regular evening tea with a disappointed scowl on his face. Keith hands him the bag of sweets before pressing his forehead against Zarkon’s temple. “Sorry I disappeared. You were in a meeting and I didn’t want to bother you, and I wanted to see the marketplace. I would’ve waited for you if you hadn’t said you’d be busy all day.”

Zarkon leans into Keith as he opens the small paper bag. “Then you should have informed Haggar of your desire to leave the Palace. She could have arranged an escort for you.”

“ I don’t need a babysitter,” Keith says, leaving Zarkon’s side in favor of taking his boots into the too big walk-in closet. “But I’ll let you know the next time I plan on going somewhere, okay?”

“ That is acceptable,” Zarkon replies.

Since he’s there, Keith picks up a change of clothes before returning to Zarkon’s presence. “Can I go out again tomorrow?”

“ We shall see.” Zarkon smiles — a small, warm curve of his lips — and it’s enough for Keith; he knows Zarkon well enough to know that what he just got is practically a yes.

“You could come with me,” Keith says, earning himself a soft chuckle from Zarkon.

“I will be too busy to do that. Perhaps some other time?”

Keith purses his lips but lets it go for now. “I’m gonna take a shower. You could join me; we could spend some time together.”

“May I finish my tea first?” Zarkon asks, lifting his cup for emphasis.

“If you must,” Keith replies, “I’d hurry if I were you, though, I’m not planning on spending the entire night in the shower.”

Zarkon smiles at Keith. “Alright.”

Keith nods before heading to the bathroom, marveling at how spacious it is, taking in the pale walls and the dark floors with the soft rugs thrown around, though not close to the shower or the bathtub at the end of the room.

At the last minute Keith opts for a bath instead of a shower; the bathtub is big enough to fit several people in, and it’s inviting Keith to relax and enjoy a hot bath. Keith’s decision to forget the shower only solidifies when he remembers Zarkon is going to be joining him, and it’s been months since they’ve had a proper bath together.

Keith draws the bath, adding more of the bath milks into the water than is strictly necessary, but once he steps into the hot water and the tension leaves his muscles he decides the extra milk was a great idea.

It doesn’t take long for Zarkon to join Keith, and they spend the evening just enjoying each other’s company.


	2. The Volcano

Keith is aware that the Galra live on a desert planet — he’d seen the sand when he’d arrived and every day since then — but traveling through open land and truly  _ seeing _ it, seeing how far the desert extends, the huge rock formations in the distance, the sand and the dunes and the mirages the burning hot suns create is something else entirely.

It’s breathtaking and terrifying and nothing like the desert Keith had spent a year on.

“How far to the mountain?” Keith asks, not taking his eyes off the window.

“Volcano,” Zarkon corrects him, “approximately half a varga.”

Keith nods. “It’s not an active volcano, right? We’re not gonna be burned to crisp or anything?”

Zarkon sets his pad aside and levels Keith with a flat look. “We have the means to predict volcanic activity and protect ourselves from possible eruptions. The volcano we will be visiting has been quiet for a while and it is not showing signs of erupting anytime soon.”

“If you say so,” Keith mutters.

It’s not that he doesn’t trust Zarkon’s assessment of the Galra’s ability to predict volcanic activity, he does; he even knows the Galra have lived by the volcano for centuries and they are all perfectly fine. It’s all just his own unease at the idea of being around a mountain that might explode at any moment if it so desires, and —in Keith’s opinion —since  Keith used to be human, he’s allowed to have some concerns when it comes to active volcanoes.

Half a varga later they arrive at the volcano and Zarkon leads Keith out of the transport shuttle — almost like a cart of a train; dark metal with tinted windows, hovering over the ground like Keith’s bike had done back on Earth. Keith kind of wants to take the engines apart and find out if the shuttle works on similar principles than his bike had.

Keith’s attention doesn’t linger on the transport for long. The volcano is so tall Keith can’t see the top of it — the harsh sunlight making it impossible for him to look up that high — but the nearly black side of it is a magnificent sight in and on itself, so Keith doesn’t mind that much.

Zarkon guides Keith into the large building at the base of the volcano. The inside of it is lit in a typical Galra fashion and the hall they enter is spacious, with corridors leading to other parts of the building and a set of stairs to the second level in the far end of the wide room. There are scientists and staff going about their business, with sentries following some of them.

“Do I get to take a tour of this place?” Keith asks as he takes in the odd pattern painted on the floor.

“Of course,” Zarkon replies, “you may also visit the volcano itself if we have the time for it.”

Keith smiles at Zarkon, excited and happy with the possibility of seeing the inside of a volcano. “If we can’t do that this time around can we come back?”

“Yes.” Zarkon smiles, amused by Keith’s excitement. The familiar fondness is there too, and Keith isn’t sure how he ever lived without that warmth directed at him.

Keith glances around and once he’s sure no one is paying attention to them he stands on his toes and pulls Zarkon down by his collar so that Keith can press their foreheads together.. Zarkon doesn’t stop Keith, but he doesn’t linger the way he does when they are alone.

“Are you ready?” Zarkon asks, his voice unusually soft.

Keith nods. “Yeah.”

Zarkon leads Keith deeper into the facility, walking past the small shop selling the products the Galra make from the ashes and minerals of the volcano. Keith glances at the shop, wondering if there’s anything he might want to buy from there.

“You can stop by there before we leave,” Zarkon says, slowing down when he notices Keith has fallen a few steps behind.

Keith hurries to Zarkon’s side and hooks their arms just because he can. Zarkon glances at him, an amused smile playing on his lips, and adjusts his steps to better match Keith and his shorter legs.

Zarkon has arranged one of the scientist to show them around — for Keiths sake, mostly — and she’s waiting for them at the doors into the secured part of the facility.

She introduces herself as Mara and she’s almost shorter than Keith, with soft looking almost bluish velvet covering her body rather than proper fur, with darker markings running across the sides of her face and down her neck; she has long pointy ears and a pleasant smile, and her claws are shorter than usual.

Mara shows them around the facility, talking about their latest research projects and findings and explaining how they monitor the volcano. She does that for Keith’s benefit more than anything, and Keith makes a point of memorizing her every word.

“So you control when the volcano erupts?” He asks once Mara is done explaining the finer points of their latest project.

Mara inclines her head. “It’s safer that way. If we’d let the volcano erupt whenever it wanted we could go decafebes between eruptions and when the next eruption happens, it could be devastating. We merely make sure that doesn’t happen by making the eruptions timed and smaller, in a way — more controlled.”

Keith nods slowly. He sees the logic behind her explanation and he tells her so. Mara smiles at him and thanks him before changing the subject to the minerals the Galra harvest from the volcano and the land surrounding it.

Later, after Mara has given Keith a full tour of the facility — both the areas free to the public and the secure areas — Keith gets a chance to visit the inside of the volcano. Keith has to coax Zarkon to come with him, and soon Mara leads them both into the volcano. Keith’s excited to be inside an active volcano while Zarkon scowls at the dust clinging to his cape and clothes.

“Why did you put on the most expensive clothes you could find when you knew we’d be seeing the inside of a volcano?” Keith asks, grinning when Zarkon frowns at him.

“I assumed you would not require an escort,” Zarkon replies and dusts his cape again.

“You’ll be better off doing that once we’re leaving,” Keith says, earning himself another frown. Just to annoy Zarkon further, Keith grins at him before focusing on taking in the black rock surrounding them, illuminated by the low lights the Galra have set up to make it easier for them to move around.

An hour or so later Mara leads them back into the research facility. Zarkon thanks her for the tour and Keith says goodbye to her.

“Can I check out the shop now?” Keith asks as they head towards the front doors, glancing at the shop before focusing his attention on Zarkon, trying to make his ears tilt back in that way that usually makes Zarkon give him what he wants.

“Of course,” Zarkon replies.

Keith beelines to the shop, browsing the shelves of volcanic ash — for fur maintenance and house plants — and jewelry done from the rocks found in the volcano or the nearby areas. There are jars of ground minerals as well, and on a whim Keith buys something of of all the products available, picking a set of earrings with shiny black rocks on them from the jewels.

Zarkon lets Keith pay for everything, and though Keith is using Zarkon’s money he likes the feeling of being able to buy things on his own rather than relying on Zarkon to do it for him.

When they step outside the suns are already setting. The transport shuttle is waiting for them near the doors, and Keith sighs as soon as he’s sitting on the comfy seats inside it. His feet hurt from all the walking and he’s tired, but he doesn’t mind.

Zarkon sits down by Keith’s side and Keith leans into him, enjoying the warmth Zarkon radiates and the way he runs his claws lazily up and down Keith’s side. After a while Keith settles better on the seat until he can lie down and rest his head in Zarkon’s lap. It doesn’t take him long to fall asleep, especially with Zarkon petting his hair the whole way back to the Palace.


	3. The Pet

It takes Keith months to convince Zarkon that he gets lonely in the Palace all by himself while Zarkon is running the Empire.

Zarkon tells Keith to make friends (but not with the serving staff) or go outside (but only in the Palace grounds) or to simply Zarkon as he sees to the Empire’s matters. Keith tries that for a week until they both agree that it’s not the best solution, as it leaves Keith in a foul mood since no one wants to hear his opinion on the matter — Zarkon insists that he does, even if he disagrees with Keith on almost everything — and Zarkon giving Keith the most disappointed look Keith has ever seen on his face.

“Would you be happy with a pet?” Zarkon asks one morning.

Keith — having gone straight from bed to slump on the couch — perks up. “Yes. No — what kind of a pet? You don’t mean a fish in a bowl, right?”

Zarkon looks up from his morning tea. “Why would you put a fish in a bowl?”

Keith shrugs. “Humans keep fish in bowls. It’s not considered good for them but it happens. You’re supposed to have a... this glass aquarium of sorts? They call them fish tanks and they vary in size.”

Zarkon frowns. “No fish.”

Keith sits up. “Then what?”

Zarkon shrugs. “Kizra? Or something similar.”

Keith’s eyes brighten and he climbs off the couch and hurries to Zarkon, hugging him tightly. “I’d love that, thanks.”

Zarkon chuckles and pets Keith’s hair a few times before returning his attention to his tea. “You need to brush your hair.”

“I know,” Keith replies as he pulls away and takes his seat by Zarkon’s side.

 

* * *

A week or so later Keith is lounging on the soft carpet spread on the floor of Zarkon’s private library, trying to memorize the finer points of the grammar of the Galran language. He doesn’t react when Zarkon enters the room, but the soft whine catches Keith’s attention. A bright smile spreads on his face when he sees the Kizra puppy Zarkon is tangling in front of him.

Keith scrambles to his feet and scoops the puppy into his arms, welcoming the cautious sniffs and licks the puppy gives him.

“You will care for him,” Zarkon tells Keith, “house training and feeding are your responsibility, as well as naming him and making sure he knows not to destroy anything or maul anyone.”

Keith nods, grinning as the puppy nuzzles his face as he sniffs Keith’s hair. “I will, don’t worry.”

Zarkon narrows his eyes, but inclines his head. “I must return to work now. Someone will bring you the puppy’s food and anything you need. If you feel like something is missing let the staff know.”

“Okay,” Keith says, waving Zarkon off, his focus solely on his new pet.

Keith names him Rix just to annoy Zarkon, because — as Thace tells Keith — Rix is the Galran equivalent of naming one’s dog Spot. Zarkon spends a week trying to get Keith to change the Kirza’s name, but Keith refuses to do so, insisting that the puppy already knows his name.

Rix turns out to be a personality once he gets used to living in the Palace, and though he’s easy to house train — Keith takes a day to read up on training a Kirza and all the material he goes through credits them as incredibly smart — he also gets easily bored, and when he gets bored things break and ankles get bitten.

Keith does his best to reign the puppy in, but eventually he has to get Zarkon to let him buy proper activation toys for Rix. “Do you want him to eat your couture capes? Because he can reach them,” Keith threatens before Zarkon even has a chance to deny Keith’s request.

Zarkon lifts an unimpressed eyebrow. “As I have told you, you may buy the animal what you need. I believe the head of the staff has a Kirza so he might be able to assist you.”

Keith smiles at him, relieved at getting his way. “Thank you.” He kisses Zarkon, barely resisting the urge to turn it into something more heated. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“I am aware of that,” Zarkon replies, smiling warmly at Keith. “I also do no want that animal to destroy my home.”

Keith snorts. “You’re the one who got him for me in the first place! You don’t get to act like you’re annoyed by his presence.”

Zarkon tilts his head. “I can act any way I see fit, and just because I got you something does not mean I will accept it no matter what; you need to train him.”

“I am! You know I am,” Keith retorts, but the smile tugging at his lips ruins the effect of his words. Not that Keith minds that much, especially when Rix hops on the couch with them and starts tugging at Keith’s hair.

The corner of Zarkon’s lips quirks up before he can stop himself while Keith tries his best to get Rix to let go of his hair. It’s harder than it should be, but only because Keith ends up laughing too much to be firm with the puppy, and his laughter only encourages Rix to tug at his hair more.

“Stop it!” Keith grabs Rix’s jaws firmly but without hurting him and tries to pry his hair from the puppy’s mouth. “You can’t eat me.”

“You are doing a wonderful job teaching that thing how to behave,” Zarkon muses, his voice carrying a hint of amused laughter.

Keith throws him a dirty glare before tugging his hair free from Rix’s hold, earning himself a lapful of whining puppy chewing on the hem of his shirt. Keith sighs and gives up, letting Rix chew his clothes and crawl on top of him as much as he wants. He knows it’ll encourage Rix to do the same thing again, but Keith can’t bring himself to care.

Keith does pry his shirt from Rix before he eats holes into it and reaches for the toy on the floor, making Rix whine and nearly fall off Keith’s lap in the process. Keith pets Rix and offers the toy to him, and Rix takes it as he settles back down on Keith’s lap. Keith relaxes against the couch, absently rubbing Rix’s ear and smiling at the puppy as he tries to tear the toy apart.

“Keith?”

“What?”

Zarkon nods towards Rix nestled in Keith’s arms. “Do not let him into the bed; he will grow considerably bigger than he is now.”

“I won’t, don’t worry. He’s got his own bed for a reason,” Keith replies, offering Zarkon a brief smile. “Do you want to come for a walk with us later?”

“In the garden?” Zarkon lifts an eyebrow and tilts his head. “Or do you intend to go walk in the city?”

Keith shrugs. “I haven’t decided yet. I think the city might be better since Rix is still so energetic. A good long walk would calm him down so that he won’t wake us up or destroy anything while we’re sleeping.”

Zarkon considers it for a moment. “I suppose I could join you. I have nothing that requires my immediate attention this evening.”

Keith smiles at him, happy and grateful. “Thanks.”

Zarkon returns Keith’s smile, and after a moment he presses his forehead against Keith’s. Keith lets out a soft noise and presses back eagerly, getting a soft chuckle out of Zarkon who cups Keith’s face and moves to nuzzle his cheek.

Rix hops off Keith’s lap when Keith turns fully towards Zarkon, but Keith barely notices it; he’s too busy pulling Zarkon closer. Keith catches Zarkon’s lips in a kiss and pulls him down on the couch on, sighing softly at having the familiar weight of Zarkon on top of him.

It takes them a while to take Rix out for his walk.


	4. The Ocean

Zarkon takes Keith to see the only ocean of Draizagal on a whim. Keith takes Rix with them, trusting that seeing the ocean will be an interesting experience for the growing puppy.

Zarkon thinks so too, which instantly elates Keith’s mood — not because he needs Zarkon to agree with him, but because Zarkon rarely offers his input on matters concerning Rix unless Keith specifically asks him to do so or if it is to complain about something concerning the puppy.

“Is there really only one ocean?” Keith asks as they walk up the trail towards the beach — an actual dirt trail surrounded by grass and bushes and trees, with birds flying over their heads — a few members of the Imperial Guard and two servants following them at a distance. Rix rushes through the grass, excitedly chasing the smaller animals living there when he spots them, but otherwise darting around with no destination in mind.

“Yes,” Zarkon replies, “we have other bodies of water, of course, but this is the only one large enough to be considered an ocean. There is one other that comes relatively close, but we classify it as a sea and there are a few larger lakes as well, but they are far apart from each other.”

Keith nods, his ears perking up at the sound of the ocean and the waves crashing against the beachfront.

Rix whines and bolts away from Keith’s view, lured by the strange sounds of the ocean. Keith isn’t worried about it; Rix is too young to be a danger to anyone but himself and he’s not likely to go too far from Keith.

It doesn’t take long for them to see the ocean, and Keith’s eyes widen at the sight; it’s the clearest water Keith has ever seen, more cyan in color than anything on Earth and sparkling in the sunlight — the waves crashing to the soft sand of the beach sending droplets of water that shine like stars into the air. Rix runs up and down the beach, yapping at the water but never going near enough to get wet.

Keith laughs at the sight and hurries to the beach, stopping at the edge of the water. The toes of his boots get wet but he doesn’t care. Zarkon stays at a safe distance from the water, content to enjoy the sight of Keith’s happiness and him playing with Rix and trying to coax the puppy into coming closer to the water.

Keith has little success on getting Rix into the water, and he ends up getting his pants and boots soaked in the process. Not that Keith minds; the water isn’t cold and the air is hot, and Rix is clearly having fun just running up and down the beach and sending sand flying in all directions.

“Perhaps you would have more success getting him into the water by the rocks,” Zarkon calls out, motioning at the group of large rocks in the distance, half emerged in the water with waves crashing into them and soaking the rocks the waves can’t reach as well.

Keith nods and runs for the rocks as fast as he can in the soft sand. Rix lets out a sharp yelp before rushing after Keith, while Zarkon is happy to make his way to the rock at a leisurely pace. By the time Zarkon reaches them, Keith is already standing on the rocks with Rix whining a few feet away, annoyed that he can’t reach Keith.

“Try not to break your neck,” Zarkon says.

Keith is half tempted to pretend to fall from the rocks just to annoy Zarkon. “I’ll try,” he says instead.

Zarkon inclines his head and crosses his arms, and Keith returns to trying to get Rix to join him on the rocks. Rix growls at the ocean and after a while he runs to Zarkon, abandoning Keith to stand alone on the rocks.

“Hey!” Keith pouts at the puppy while Zarkon laughs at him. “That’s not fair!”

“You clearly do not have enough authority over your pet if you cannot get him to come to you when you are standing on a rock,” Zarkon replies, still chuckling.

“It’s not the rock, it’s the water,” Keith retorts, “and I don’t want to be an ass to him; if he doesn’t want to get wet then he doesn’t have to.”

Zarkon waves the servants still trailing after them to set the blanket and basket for them while Keith hops down from the rocks. He kicks his boots off as soon as he’s out of the water’s reach, wincing at the hot sand burning his skin. He skips to Zarkon and drops his boots in the sand before hopping on the blanket and off the burning sand.

“Your clothes are wet,” Zarkon points out.

Keith sighs and rolls his eyes, but since Zarkon brought it up Keith strips his soaked clothes off as well. Zarkon shakes his head while the servants leave them be, quickly averting their eyes from Keith’s exposed skin — not because they have a problem with Keith’s stripping, but because Keith is Zarkon’s and no one but Zarkon has the right to lay eyes on Keith while he’s standing on a beach in nothing but his underwear.

Zarkon sits down on the blanket — too poised and proper in Keith’s opinion — and shakes his head at Keith who slumps down next to him far less gracefully. Rix flops down on the edge of the blanket, panting and enjoying the breeze in the air.

Keith pours Rix a bowl of water before leaning against Zarkon’s chest, sighing contently when Zarkon puts his arms around him.

“I kinda want to go for a swim,” Keith says.

“Then go,” Zarkon replies, “no one is stopping you.”

Keith hums and shrugs. “I want tea first.”

Zarkon inclines his head and — since he’s closer to it — pulls the basket towards them and hands Keith the bottle of the cold sweet tea. Keith thanks him and sips the tea slowly, relaxing in the cool breeze and the sound of the waves crashing against the beach with the birds crying out somewhere in the distance — more like songbirds than anything, their cries melodic and pleasant to listen to.

Zarkon runs his claws along Keith’s side and Keith closes his eyes.

Keith tries to find the voice in him that once screamed at him for enjoying Zarkon’s closeness, constantly reminding him of the war and his friends fighting against the Empire and all the horrible things the Galra have done — are still doing — but it’s not there anymore.

“Zarkon?”

“Yes?”

Keith tilts his head and studies Zarkon closely for a moment before leaning up and nuzzling Zarkon’s cheek. “I don’t know how I survived without you in my life,” he says — whispers, really — so quietly he’s not sure he actually speaks out loud.

Without a warning, Zarkon grabs Keith’s face and kisses him, forceful and demanding like he always is — just like Keith prefers him to be. Keith lets out a pleased noise and throws his arms around Zarkon’s neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss, as demanding as Zarkon is even if he lets Zarkon take the lead.

Zarkon breaks the kiss when Keith starts gasping for breath, but he stays there, pressing kisses to the corner of Keith’s mouth, his breath mingling with Keith’s.

“I think I’ll go swim now, before I start thinking sex on a beach is a good idea,” Keith says, slightly out of breath and grinning.

Zarkon lifts an eyebrow, the corners of his lips quirking up. “Is it not?”

Keith laughs and shakes his head. “You get sand everywhere.”

“We have a blanket,” Zarkon points out.

Keith scoffs. “Sand is evil, trust me; the second you take your underwear off you’ve got sand in places you do not want sand in.”

Zarkon laughs softly. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Keith kisses Zarkon briefly before standing up and taking the rest of his clothes off. “Keep an eye on Rix?”

Zarkon inclines his head and Keith heads to the ocean. The water is warm against his skin, but compared to the burning heat of the suns it’s cooling and pleasant. Keith has to wade a little farther into the ocean than he thought he would have to, but it’s worth it. He dives into the water, all noise turning into a distant murmur, making the world seem far away, like Keith is the only person who truly exists in that moment.

Keith could stay there forever.


	5. The Engagement

They have known each other for two and a half years; they have been in a relationship for two of those years, and Keith has never been happier. He’s given up making excuses for why he shouldn’t go back to Voltron and the others and accepted that he wants to be with Zarkon. He hadn’t really done that for over a year anyways — besides occasionally remembering to tell himself it’s better that he’s with Zarkon for the universe’s sake alone. But the truth is that Keith wants to be there; that he’s happy with Zarkon — happier than he’s ever been with anyone.

Keith smiles and brushes his fingers along Zarkon’s cheek, making him shift slightly in his sleep. It’s one of the rare mornings where Zarkon doesn’t need to be anywhere, and Keith is perfectly happy letting Zarkon sleep for as long as he wants. Keith could get up and get breakfast for himself — Zarkon has long since stopped waking up every time Keith gets out of bed — but the sight of Zarkon sound asleep and relaxed keeps him from doing so.

On a whim, Keith kisses Zarkon’s nose, causing him to shift and sigh. Keith grins and presses another kiss on Zarkon’s brow.

Zarkon reaches up, touching Keith’s jaw and humming quietly.

“Morning,” Keith whispers.

Zarkon hums again, nuzzling Keith’s face. Keith laughs quietly, pressing his forehead to Zarkon’s and letting him pull Keith into his arms.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Keith says, keeping his voice quiet, as if speaking too loudly would break the moment — would ruin the lazy atmosphere, somehow.

Zarkon takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “It is alright.”

“You sure?”

Zarkon presses a kiss on the corner of Keith’s mouth in response. Keith smiles and kisses Zarkon back. Slowly, Zarkon opens his eyes, his gaze sleepy but content, and he brushes his fingers through Keith’s hair, his claws catching on the knots there. Keith hadn’t bothered to braid his hair before going to bed like he often does; brushing the tangles and knots is time consuming and Keith prefers to minimize the required work, but he has nowhere to be this morning so he has the time to straighten his hair out without the need to hurry.

“Did you order breakfast yet?” Zarkon asks, his voice just as quiet as Keith’s had been when he’d spoken.

“No, I didn’t want to get up alone,” Keith replies, tracing the line of Zarkon’s jaw absently. 

“You could not get breakfast without me?” The amused edge of Zarkon’s voice keeps Keith from pulling away.

“No, I —“ Keith sighs “— I wanted to start the day with you. I want to be with you for as long as I live.”

Zarkon chuckles. “I am glad to hear that.”

“You want me here, right?” Keith asks, suddenly conscious of what he’s saying.

Zarkon frowns, his expression turning serious. “Of course I do. Why would you ever doubt that?”

Keith shrugs. “I’m not used to having something like this. I keep thinking something’s gonna take this away.”

Zarkon tilts his head, a small frown on his brow. “That is not something you need to worry about. You will have this for as long as you live.”

“Marry me,” Keith blurts out before he can stop himself, his voice so quiet he’s not sure he even says it out loud; not until Zarkon’s eyes widen in surprise.

“What?”

Keith swallows, self-conscious all of the sudden. “Marry me,” he repeats, louder this time.

Zarkon blinks slowly, as if he’s not quite processing Keith’s words, then he sits up, the set of his shoulders tense. Keith berates himself — for not keeping his mouth shut, for being stupid enough to repeat himself — before he sits up as well.

“Look.” Keith sighs, his ears drooping. “I just... I want to be with you, and I just thought that... well... I just want to be with you.”

“You are with me,” Zarkon says.

“I know that, and I know it’s stupid and that it doesn’t mean that much in the grand scheme of things but I want to marry you. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want everyone to know that.” Keith sounds lost even to his own ears, and he doesn’t know how to fix the situation he’s created.

Zarkon shakes his head. “I cannot — “

“Is it because of what happened with Honerva — Haggar?”

“No.” Zarkon glances at Keith, a sad, shaky smile on his lips. “It has nothing to do with her. I just... I cannot give you that kind of a commitment.”

“Why not?” Keith asks softly, trying to hide the sadness creeping into his voice.

“Because you will leave,” Zarkon says.

Keith frowns shaking his head. “No I won’t. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“You will leave, eventually. You will grow old and... you will leave.”

Keith’s eyes widen, understanding dawning on him, and his heart breaks, just a little. He hurries to close the little distance between him and Zarkon, cupping Zarkon’s face in his hands and refusing to let him look away from Keith. “I don’t have to do that. I can stay with you if you want. I want to stay with you. I’ll stay with you until the universe dies around us and we’re the only ones left if you let me.”

Zarkon stares at Keith with wide eyes.

Keith sits straighter, his ears tilting back, earnest and a little desperate. “You can make me like you, right? We can be together forever, right? If you want?”

“Yes,” Zarkon says softly, his expression disbelieving and shocked, like the thought that Keith might want to spend an eternity with him hadn’t ever crossed his mind.

Keith smiles. “Then let me keep you forever.”

Zarkon stares at Keith silently for several long seconds before pushing him on the bed and kissing him hungrily. Keith kisses him back just as eagerly, wrapping his arms and legs around Zarkon to keep him close, even his tail wrapping around Zarkon’s thigh.

“Marry me,” Keith breathes when Zarkon releases his mouth and moves to nuzzle his jaw.

Keith cries out when Zarkon sinks his teeth into his neck hard enough to break the skin and draw blood, tilting his head back to give Zarkon better access.

“Please,” Keith moans, though he’s not sure what exactly he’s asking for.

“Alright,” Zarkon replies softly, his breath warm against Keith’s skin. “Anything you wish.”

Keith moans and stops thinking.

 

* * *

The Galra don’t exchange rings, but Zarkon gets Keith one anyways after Keith explains the human tradition to him. He also gets Keith a traditional Galran betrothal necklace — a black jewel that shines red when the light hits it just right, carved into an oval shape with beautiful markings on it Keith can’t read. The jewel is tied around Keith’s neck with a soft leather strap, and Keith quickly develops a habit of playing with it to busy his hands.

Zarkon finds it amusing and a little endearing.

The Galra find it shocking, and it takes them a few weeks to decide that Keith’s engagement to Zarkon is something worth celebrating.

“It is because you are only half-Galra,” Zarkon explains his people’s — their people’s — initial lack of response to their engagement.

“It’s because Zarkon has spent ten thousand years without a partner, let alone a betrothed,” Haggar says.

Keith doesn’t care either way; as long as he’s with Zarkon, he’s happy.


	6. +1 Voltron

“You what now?” Lance glances at Hunk for support, his expression disbelieving.

“I’m marrying Zarkon,” Keith repeats as he sets his cup of tea down.

Keith had ran into his old friends — they’d grabbed him, really — at the yearly spring market the Mrie hold. It had taken Keith a while, but he’d convinced the others to have tea at the nearby cafe instead of dragging him into their shuttle and away from the planet and Zarkon.

“Are you insane?” Pidge asks, her voice just as disbelieving as Lance’s expression is.

“No, I just know what I want from my life,” Keith replies, trying hard to keep his tone civil, not only because he doesn’t want to fight with his friends after two years apart, but because he’s going marry Zarkon, and that comes with duties that require him to be able to hold civil conversation even if he wants to punch someone.

“But it’s Zarkon!” Pidge looks at the others for support. “He’s evil.”

“He’s really not.” Keith sighs, setting his tea down. “I know you don’t get it, but I’m happy and I love him, and I want to marry him.”

Shiro — having been quiet up until now — clears his throat. “I think we’re all just a little concerned. You two didn’t meet in the best possible way, and he did kidnap you.”

Keith laughs. “I know all of that and so does he. We just got to know each other and we fit well together. We’ve spent a long time working through the bad stuff and our relationship is in a healthy place.”

Shiro doesn’t look convinced, and neither do the others. Keith doesn’t blame them; if he’d been told he was going to marry Zarkon because they’re in love before the Galra captured him, he wouldn’t have believed it either.

“Um... are we invited to the wedding?” Hunk’s forced smile wobbles, like he doesn’t know what he wants the answer to be.

“Not if you’re gonna be dicks about it,” Keith replies, his eyes fixed on his tea rather than his friends.

“It’s just“ — Allura shifts, uncomfortable and wary — “you’re marrying  _ Zarkon. _ ”

Keith sighs. “I’m aware of that. I’m the one who proposed.” Keith gets another wave of disbelieving noises for his confession. “What?”

“Have you lost your mind?” Lance stares at Keith, his eyes disbelieving.

Keith groans. “Can we change the subject?”

“Into what?” Hunk asks, staring at Keith with disbelieving eyes.

“I don’t know... I have a space dog? I’ve seen the inside of an active volcano? Or you could tell me what you’ve been up to?” Keith looks at Shiro, tilting his ears back imploringly.

Shiro sighs, looking almost lost. “We’ve been looking for you. Fighting the Empire, building the Voltron Coalition — I don’t know if you’ve heard of that?”

“I have,” Keith replies, inclining his head for emphasis before remembering that Shiro and the others might not know what it means. “What else? How have you all been?”

“Fine, I suppose,” Shiro says, glancing at the others for confirmation and getting small nods in return.

“We found Matt,” Pidge says.

Keith smiles at her. “That’s great. Zarkon said something about your father working on some project for the Druids at the moment. I know he’s being treated well, I made sure of it, but I’m not entirely sure where he is at the moment, exactly.”

“I’d be happier to have him back,” Pidge grumbles.

“And I’d love to give him to you but I can’t. There are rules and laws in place and while Zarkon can do a lot, he’s not going to break those because you want your father back; he’s already bending the rules by letting him have all the things and status he has.” Keith’s ears flatten in preparation for an argument.

“Could we see him?” Allura asks before Pidge can do more than take in a sharp breath.

Keith stops, mulling over it for a moment. “I think I could make that happen. I’d need to convince Zarkon to let you see him and I think I can do it, but it’s gonna take some time.”

“Could you try?” Allura asks.

Keith starts to incline his head, but nods when he remembers the others might not understand the gesture. “Of course.”

Pidge doesn’t look too happy about it, but Shiro levels her with a stern glare that silences her.

“Do you want to look around?” Keith asks in an attempt to change the topic again. At the confused looks he receives, Keith waves at the people going about their business beyond the tea house’s terrace. “The market? I was planning on going though the whole place today.”

Shiro and the others share looks that Keith can’t decipher anymore and for a moment it fills him with sadness, but he shakes it off, telling himself that he has a new life now.

“I suppose it would be interesting to see the market,” Allura muses.

“Yeah,” Hunk says, nodding slightly, “I saw a stand selling snacks I’d like to try out.”

“Then it’s settled,” Shiro says, offering Keith a smile.

Keith nods. “I could introduce you to Zarkon if you want. He’s legally obligated not to kill or maim you during this event so the worst you’ll get out of him is sarcasm and threats he won’t follow through with.”

“I don’t want to see him,” Allura states, her voice hard.

“I do,” Shiro says, shrugging when the others stare at him with incredulous eyes. “If Keith’s marrying him, I want to meet him.”

“I’ll come too,” Pidge says, a hard frown on her face. “He’s got my father and I want him to know that I know it.”

The corners of Keith’s lips quirk into a smile; the idea of Pidge confronting Zarkon is oddly amusing to him.

They finish their teas while chatting about topics that won’t upset anyone. After they’re done Hunk, Lance and Allura decide to look around the market on their own, leaving Shiro, Pidge and Keith to go find Zarkon.

“I think he’s with the Czar. He likes complaining about seating arrangements,” Keith says as he leads the way towards the Palace — not as big or stunning as the one Keith has made a home of, in Keith’s opinion — “We’re supposed to have dinner later today with a bunch of dignitaries and Zarkon has issues with pretty much all of them, so he insists on arranging the table until he’s got the people he’s least annoyed with around him. It’s a matter of honor or something to be allowed to sit near Zarkon since everyone knows the people sitting furthest from him are the ones he likes the least,” Keith continues, chuckling softly.

“I can’t believe you’re dining with dignitaries,” Shiro says.

“I can’t believe it either,” Keith replies as he pulls his pocket pad out, “there’s pros and cons to it.”

Keith sends Zarkon a quick message asking him to come to the gates, dodging the people walking past them as he does so. Keith tells Shiro and Pidge about the dinner parties he’s attended while he leads them to the gates where Zarkon is waiting for them with an air of annoyance surrounding him.

Pidge and Shiro tense, but Keith smiles and waves his hand. “They wanted to kidnap me,” he says when they reach Zarkon.

Zarkon narrows his eyes at Shiro and leans towards him. “You should know I could rip your spine out if I wanted to.”

Shiro swallows, leaning away from Zarkon almost without thinking while Keith snorts behind them both. “You know there are better ways to say hi, right?”

Zarkon straightens up. “That is debatable.”

Keith shakes his head. “That’s Pidge — you’re holding his father prisoner so you should apologize for that — and Shiro — which you already knew since he was in the Arena.”

Zarkon inclines his head. “As you are clearly not being kidnapped I assume you wanted something. Or did you just intend to waste my time?”

Shiro and Pidge frown and glance from Zarkon to Keith, but Keith ignores them in favor of rolling his eyes at Zarkon. “I love wasting your time; but I was hoping you’d come get sorbet or something with us.”

Zarkon tilts his head, studying Keith closely before glancing at Pidge and Shiro and sighing. “I suppose I can spare a moment.”

Keith grins and hooks his arm with Zarkon’s. “You’re paying.”

Keith knows Zarkon well enough to see the eye roll he’s suppressing, and he laughs and waves Shiro and Pidge to follow them as he drags Zarkon into the crowd of people.

It might turn out to be a disaster, but for now Keith is happy to enjoy having his friends and Zarkon with him.

**Author's Note:**

> I also have a [tumblr](https://saremina.tumblr.com) where you can reach me.


End file.
